In-room record players had their first hotel moment roughly 20 years ago, when turntables became shorthand for an edgy, youth-focused boutique hotel at the height of the hipster era. Today, they’ve returned with a very different meaning: part nostalgia, part sensory escape, and part response to an increasingly digital, always-on world.
As hotels look for ways to create more emotionally resonant guest experiences, analog touches are finding renewed relevance. Record players offer something tactile and physical at a time when nearly every song ever recorded already lives inside a smartphone. Rather than simply providing music, vinyl creates a sense of ritual and discovery: flipping through albums, placing the needle, changing the record. It encourages guests to move beyond algorithm-driven playlists and engage with music in a more intentional way.
For hotels, the appeal extends beyond nostalgia. In-room record players have become a subtle expression of brand identity and atmosphere. Many properties now pair them with curated vinyl libraries in the lobby, allowing guests to browse albums that reflect the personality and culture of the hotel itself. The result is an amenity that is memorable and distinctly human in an era increasingly dominated by screens and automation.
Liora Estate Hotel (Healdsburg, CA) the newly debuted rebrand of what was the Hotel Les Mars, sits just a block from Healdsburg’s charming central plaza. It is an intimate boutique hotel experience. With just a small collection of guest rooms, the property emphasizes warmth, comfort, and a more residential sense of luxury, pairing traditional upscale touches like in-room fireplaces and four-poster beds, with hydrotherapy soaking tubs and softer design details. That atmosphere extends into the hotel’s communal spaces, where records play quietly in the library and guests can browse a curated vinyl collection in the lobby before bringing albums back to their rooms. Each room is outfitted with a vinyl record player, turning music into part of the overall experience rather than simply another piece of in-room technology.
Andaz Mexico City Condessa (Mexico City, Mexico) Set in the heart of La Condesa, one of Mexico City’s most fashionable and culturally vibrant neighborhoods, Andaz Mexico City Condesa reflects the district’s distinctly creative energy. Known for its tree-lined streets, Art Deco architecture, café culture, independent boutiques, and thriving food and nightlife scene, La Condesa has become synonymous with the design-driven, cosmopolitan side of Mexico City that attracts both international travelers and local creatives. The guest rooms’ modern design and curated amenities create a strong sense of place and personality. In-room record players fit seamlessly into the hotel’s creative, lifestyle-oriented atmosphere — offering guests a tactile, analog counterpoint to the fast-moving energy of the city outside.
Experimental Marais (Paris, France) Opened in March 2025, Experimental Marais marks the latest — and most ambitious — Paris project from the Experimental Group, the hospitality collective credited with helping redefine Paris’ modern cocktail and boutique hotel scene. The group first made its name with the opening of the Experimental Cocktail Club in 2007, building a reputation around intimate, design-forward spaces that blend nightlife, hospitality, music, and culture into a distinctly social form of luxury.
Experimental Marais is now the group’s third hotel in Paris and serves as its new flagship property. Set in the Haut Marais, the 43-room hotel reflects the brand’s signature mix of theatrical design, nightlife energy, and residential intimacy. The property features neo-Gothic details, dramatic arches, stained glass accents, and richly atmospheric interiors that feel more like the stylish home of a well-traveled collector than a traditional luxury hotel. Music has long been central to the brand’s atmosphere, from its cocktail bars to its hotels, and the in-room turntables reinforce this, culturally driven sensibility. Rather than functioning as a gimmick, the record players become part of the hotel’s broader mood — encouraging guests to slow down, linger, and engage with the space in a way that feels tactile, analog, and intentionally removed from the hyper-digital pace of modern travel.
Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk (San Antonio, TX) Following a $57 million renovation, Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk reopened in fall 2025 as part of Tribute Portfolio, bringing new life to one of San Antonio’s most historic hotels. Located just steps from the River Walk, the property blends its early 20th-century heritage with a more contemporary boutique hotel sensibility, balancing historic architectural details with layered, design-forward interiors that feel rooted in both Texas history and modern lifestyle hospitality. The redesign leans heavily into atmosphere and storytelling, with guest rooms that pair vintage influences and rich textures with updated luxury amenities. Rooms include in-room record players alongside features like curated minibars, elevated bath products, and thoughtfully-styled lounge spaces.
The Cottages at Little Saint (Healdsburg, CA) Record players may seem like an unexpected fit for the team behind Little Saint, a brand perhaps better known for its organic farm and plant-based restaurant. But the inclusion of vinyl at The Cottages at Little Saint also reflects another major part of the Little Saint identity: music. The brand’s popular live music venue and cultural programming have become central to its community presence in Healdsburg, making vinyl feel like a natural extension of the broader creative world the company has built around food, art, sustainability, and entertainment.
Designed by renowned San Francisco designer Ken Fulk — whose portfolio includes projects like Carbone and Casadonna in Miami, the cottages embrace an intentionally maximalist aesthetic. Vintage wallpaper in bold, high-contrast colors, patterned textiles, eclectic furnishings, and richly saturated details create an atmosphere somewhere between whimsical guest house and theatrical private residence. Every cottage includes both a turntable and a curated collection of vintage vinyl, reinforcing the property’s emphasis on creativity, individuality, and immersive sensory experiences.